


Really, Princey?

by Happy_Pappy_Patton



Series: Sanders Sides Ship Oneshots! [8]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bullying, CAN YOU IMAGINEEEEEE, Childhood Friends, Coming Out, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders Being an Idiot, Crying, Disownment, Fluff and Angst, Forgiveness, Found Family, Friends to Enemies to Lovers, Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort, I need to stop with these tags this is getting excessive, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Outing, Peer Pressure, Protective Logic | Logan Sanders, Protective Morality | Patton Sanders, Punching, Rated teen because of swearing, Referenced Adoption, Religion, Self-Esteem Issues, Slurs, That never happens, There's a bit of fluff, angsty angst, but they're censored because they trigger me, cuz I'm a slut for those, do I have to tag violence there's not much, heartfelt bathroom confessions, no one's home life is stable, oh frick right, religion being bad, what do you mean that doesn't exist, wow I've been tagging really well so far
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:29:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25060900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Happy_Pappy_Patton/pseuds/Happy_Pappy_Patton
Summary: Roman is popular, extremely closeted, and crushing hard on the emo who's been the biggest target of the football team since he was outed.but when his friend wants him to go flirt with his crush in an attempt to break his heart, Roman digs up some old memories and connects some dots that definitely should've been connected earlier.can he right an old wrong before it's too late, or will he break his own heart as well as that of everyone he cares about?
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders, Prinxiety, demus - Relationship
Series: Sanders Sides Ship Oneshots! [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1746889
Comments: 34
Kudos: 211





	Really, Princey?

**Author's Note:**

> hi!!! this is a little late but I don't think anyone cares. this was written by both of us just alternating when we knew what to say. can you tell? who's to say.
> 
> tw: homophobia  
> internalised homophobia  
> the f slur (censored because it hurts to type)  
> talks of disownment  
> religion  
> a bunch of stuff just read the tags and you should be fine
> 
> leave a kudo and a comment so I can feel validated and as always, have an amazing day!

“Roman? Earth to Roman.”

The prince was jerked out of his thoughts by a hand waving in front of his face. His friend, Wyatt, was staring at him with a mixture of amusement and confusion. “You good, bro?”

Roman was, in fact, not good bro. He was the farthest from good he’d ever been. He was, as usual, staring absent-mindedly across the room at the angel that was Virgil Ansia. The tall emo sat in the back corner of the classroom, alone as always, with his hood pulled low over his head and his bulky headphones secured tightly over his ears, blocking out the rest of the world.

Not that Virgil was a problem. Quite the opposite, actually. His existence alone set butterflies loose in his stomach. The emo was way too hot for it to be healthy for anyone around him, even if no one else seemed to notice.

And that right there was the problem. Not that Virgil was there, but that Roman was way, way too insanely gay to be living in a small homophobic town in Florida. And that Roman was also way, way too gay to keep up his homophobic bully act for very long, especially when said emo had recently been outed as gay, making him the jock’s ‘friends’ main target.

“Huh? Oh, uh, yeah. I’m… good.” Roman said half-heartedly.

“I mean, sure, okay then. Alright, so we need to talk.” Wyatt said in a low voice, and Roman cringed internally. None of his friend’s ‘talks’ ever ended well for anybody except him.

The prince cleared his throat, throwing up a haphazard smile. “Sure. What’s up?”

Wyatt laughed. “Like you don’t know. Look, I’ve seen you staring at that f*g.”

Stiffening, Roman said, “Yeah? What about it?” He was not ready to have the sexuality conversation.

But it didn’t come. “I want in.”

“In?”

“In on whatever you’re planning. We already outed him, and now it’s time to make a move with it.” he said dangerously. Roman’s heart stopped. He didn’t want to hurt Virgil. He wanted to cuddle close to him after a pride parade in a small flat in New York. He already felt shitty enough as it was for the things he had done, and he thought doing anything else to hurt the beautiful man would completely tear him up inside. He hesitated for a moment, weighing up his options. He could either risk defending his crush, probably outing himself in the process, and be kicked out of his friend group, maybe off of the football team, and be bullied for the rest of his already miserable life. Or, he could keep playing this cruel game as if nothing had changed. He mulled it over. _Well, Virgil already went through this shit, didn’t he? Surely one more thing wouldn’t make much of a difference?_ he thought, trying to convince himself. He sighed, feeling worse than ever, but decided ruining his life wasn’t worth it for a stupid crush.

“What did you have in mind?” Roman asked.

“Well, you’re every girl in school’s type. Why don’t we see if you draw in the f*ggots too?”

The quarterback’s heart lurched. This was a nightmare, right? It had to be. “I’m not sure I understand.”

“Oh, yes you do. I need you to flirt with him. Lead him on. Make him think he’s worth it. And then, as soon as he’s attached, you show him the cold truth.”

Roman felt sick. His brain was frantic and scrambled. He couldn’t do this. He needed to think of an excuse, and quickly.

“I, uh… bro, isn’t that… pretty gay?” he stuttered. Wyatt laughed loudly.

“That’s the fucking point, dumbass. I’ll tell everyone else to let them know it isn’t real. That freak is the only one who’ll get hurt, I promise. Just like he deserves.”

Roman swallowed hard, trying to keep his face stoic. He opened his mouth to answer, but he knew his voice would betray him. Instead, he just nodded.

Wyatt grinned. “Great. Go on then, turn on that classic Roman Prince charm. Let’s break some gay hearts.”

And that was how he found himself approaching his crush for the first time. Virgil didn’t even notice him sit down next to him, eyes closed and fingers drumming mindlessly to the beat of his music.

“Uh, Virgil?” he asked timidly. No response. “Virgil?” he repeated, louder this time, placing a placating hand over the emo’s restless fingers.

Virgil flinched, pulling his hand away and staring at Roman. For a moment, he looked frightened, but his features smoothed into nonchalance immediately. “What do you want?” he growled.

Jesus fucking christ. Looking at Virgil was hard enough, but did he have to have the voice of an angel on top of that? It was perfectly steady, perfectly melodious, and even somewhat familiar. If it weren’t for Wyatt’s gaze digging into his back, he might’ve fainted on the spot.

“Jeez, no need to get all defensive. I just came over to say hi.” Roman said under his breath, still unconfident.

“Well sorry if I’m not exactly eager to believe one of the most homophobic assholes in school who was responsible for outing me and cutting my already tiny friend group in half is just casually wanting to have a nice chat,” he spat. Roman felt he had been punched in the stomach. This was exactly what he’d been trying to avoid.

“Virgil-”

“Save the confessions for church, ok?” he interrupted. “I don’t need assholes like you in my life.”

And without another word, he rose, collected his things, and walked right out of class.

The other students didn’t care. The teacher didn’t care. The only two people who even saw him go were Wyatt and Roman. Both were disappointed. Both for different reasons.

Roman caught his friend’s eye, and the linebacker cocked his head like, _what are you waiting for? Go after him!_

The prince had been about to, but his friend’s assertiveness made him hesitate. He wanted to apologise, not go on with this charade. This had all gone too far. The outing was bad enough; to intentionally mess with someone’s feelings like this was on another level of wrong.

Wyatt wouldn’t actually know what happened out there, though. He wouldn’t be able to tell whether Roman was being genuine or not if he couldn’t see him, right? He could figure this out.

With a quick nod, he rushed out of the classroom without a word of protest from anyone and ran after his crush.

“Virgil, wait!”

Miraculously, the emo slowed his pace. He still didn’t turn back. “I’m not in the mood, Roman.”

Roman bit his tongue.

“I know, and I’m sorry. But please hear me out, for just a minute. And then you can hate me all you want.” He begged. Virgil just laughed.

“As much as I do love to hear you groveling, I don’t have the energy right now. Come to think of it, I don’t think I ever will. So back off.” He said. There was still venom in his voice, but even Roman could hear how strained it was.

“Please, Virge.”

The emo stopped in his tracks, still not facing him. “Don’t call me that. You lost the right to call me that 6 years ago.”

Roman hesitated, getting annoyed.

“How did I lose that right before I even knew you!?” he said angrily. Even though Virgil’s back was turned, Roman could see him wince. Slowly, the emo turned around, facing him. Roman’s heart broke.

“Please tell me you’re kidding.” Virgil said gently, sounding more hurt than Roman could deal with.

“I- I-” Roman stuttered. He racked his brain, trying to think. _Six years ago. That’s, what? Fifth grade? Fourth? No, fifth. Goddamnit, why can’t I subtract? Okay, fifth grade. Who did I know in fifth grade?_ He kept thinking, but no matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t think of anyone who would relate him to Virgil. He was pretty sure the kid hadn’t even gone to his school.

Virgil sighed loudly, taking a step forward.

“Really, Princey?” he said, barely audible, his voice breaking. Roman’s breath caught in his throat, and he felt his heart drop into his stomach. Princey. In an instant, it all came crashing back in. Memories of a small boy in a purple shirt hanging upside-down from the monkey bars, giggling happily. Sharing snacks in the back of the class, helping each other with homework, Virgil sketching pictures of a comic book while Roman wrote the narrative.

And then the bad memories. He was met with a pang of guilt and shame as he remembered the first day of middle school, Roman leaving him behind for the “popular kids.” He had been so blinded by the idea of being loved, that he gave up on the one person who had already given him all the love he could ask for.

“Virgil?” he asked, incredulous. Then, quieter, “My Virgil?”

“Jesus, did I mean that little to you? No, Princey, your Virgil is gone. You destroyed that Virgil a long time ago. Did you ever think twice about me? Or was your conscience clear the second I was out of your sight?” He sighed, starting to shake. “Look, it’s exhausting, being mad at you, especially when you just keep adding fuel to the fire. Just leave me alone, please? Let your little followers do whatever they want, I couldn’t care less. I’d rather get shoved to the ground a thousand more times than hear your voice again.”

And then he bolted.

Roman couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t see past his own burning shame and anger. How could he have been so stupid? He’d sold his soul for a false sense of security, and lost the best thing in his life in one fell swoop. And he’d hardly noticed. How hadn’t he seen it?

Except, there was something wrong with that. He was confident he’d looked for Virgil before. He remembered all those lonely nights in 6th grade, finally getting a phone and immediately combing through the directory for his number. Virgil wasn’t in there, he remembered it clear as day. So what…

He started. God, he had to explain himself. He couldn’t lose Virgil again. Not after this.

He started stumbling, then walking, then running toward the only noise in the hall- two boys talking in front of the restrooms. Behind them, he could hear sobs echoing through the stalls. Roman could live a million lifetimes, but those sobs would never leave his mind. He’d done this. Him and his stupidity.

Choking back tears of his own, Roman sprinted towards the two, trying to nudge his way between them. “Excuse me, I need to get through.”

But neither moved. In fact, moved closer together, blocking the prince’s entry entirely. “Excuse me,” he said again. “I have to get in there. Please.”

One of them, the shorter of the two, bit his lip. “Don’t you think you’ve done enough?”

Roman stopped, staring at them. He’d never met him, but he was confident his friends had messed with them at one point, too. Logan and Patton, he seemed to recall. It was unlikely that three gays were in the same place (well, four) purely on accident.

“Look,” he said desperately. “I know this looks bad, but I have to make this right. Let me through, please.”

The tall one’s eyes flare with rage. “You had plenty of time to make it right 6 years ago. You had plenty of time to make it right months ago when you ruined his life. You don’t deserve that opportunity anymore; you aren’t worth his time. You don’t want to make it right because you care, you want to make it right because he called you out on your hate and now you feel guilty. Even when you’re trying to help, you’re selfish. Do you have any idea the pain you’ve caused him? No. Because you couldn’t. You have no idea about the countless numbers of sleepless nights Patton and myself have spent at Virgil’s house, listening to him cry over you. We’ve heard every lash of anger, every word of sorrow. You were everything to him. And you threw him away like he was nothing. And now that he’s finally healing, now that he can finally make it more than two days without breaking down over you, you have the absolute audacity to talk to him the way you did and to believe you are worthy in any way of a second more of his time. You’re a monster, Roman Prince. Figuratively, maybe, but a monster nonetheless. Now, if you know what’s good for you, you will turn your back without another word and get back to your class, before we force you to.”

“I-” Roman’s voice cracked. “I didn’t know.”

The shorter one, Patton, shook his head. “That,” he said, voice barely above a whisper, “is exactly the problem. You weren’t there. You haven’t been there for him for so long, I doubt you even understand what being there is. Where were you when his mom died? Off watching football with your friends. Where were you when he realised he was gay? You had your ear to the fence just waiting to leak it to the whole school.”

“That wasn’t me!” he protested, though he knew it didn’t matter. The truth was, Patton was right. He wasn’t there when it had mattered. He hadn’t even known his mother was dead.

“Why?” the short one asked, so quiet Roman thought he must have imagined it until he kept talking. “What makes it so hard for you to just walk away from here and let Virgil live his life? Why are you so determined to make him miserable? Why are you still here?”

“Because I love him!” Roman blurted. He knew it would cost him every ounce of popularity he had, but none of that mattered if Virgil was hurting and he couldn’t help him. He’d been shirking this off for too long because of fear; he couldn’t let it stop him now.

“Because I love him,” he said quieter, “and I’ve been trying to deny that since day one, but it’s always been true. Because I’ve been hiding behind a throne and a football for so long that I forgot what it’s like to love. Because I left him behind for a fancy seat in the lunchroom and there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t regret that choice. I can’t change the past, but I can change the present. You want to know why I’m still here? It’s because I love him more than I’ve ever loved or been loved in my entire life, and if I have to lose everything just to deserve a spot at his side again, I will gladly do so.”

The hall was silent for a moment, in which Roman was sure he’d messed up something. Then, Logan’s fist came flying at him, catching him square in the jaw. Patton yelped.

“You can start by losing that face,” he seethed. The other had to hold him back as Roman chuckled dryly.

“I suppose I should thank you,” the prince mumbled, words slurring together. “God knows I deserve much worse than that.”

Logan growled. “Don’t give me any ideas. I’d be happy to oblige.”

“And I’d be more than willing to take it. Any punishment you have for me will be justified.”

Logan looked ready to retort, but Patton stopped him. “Lo, trust me on this. He really wants to change. This isn’t our choice anymore. It’s Virgil’s.” He stared at Roman sternly. “We’re not done with this conversation.”

Roman nodded gratefully and ducked into the bathroom.

Virgil’s sobs quieted as the prince’s footsteps got louder. “Who’s there?” he croaked. “If that’s you, Pat, I don’t want to talk.”

“Ansia,” was all he could say. The closed stall stayed silent, not even a breath. Then,

“So we’re not even on a first name basis anymore?” He sounded broken, devastated, and Roman’s soul crumbled.

“No, your last name. My Virgil was Virgil Knight. I’ve been looking for Virgil Knight for years.”

The emo sniffed. “Yeah. After mom died, dad left. I bounced around the foster system for a year before I got adopted. Emile and Remy Ansia. Not that you care.”

“I do! Virgil, look. I’ve done so many shitty things to you and everyone for so long. But Virgil, I don’t hate you, and I never have. I have no excuses for my behaviour, but at the very least you deserve an explanation. I can give you that if you’ll take it.”

He took the emo’s silence as an invitation, leaning against the closed stall door. “Virgil Knight was the love of my life.” It was a strong start, but finally it felt right to admit it. “I’m pretty sure I have plans for our wedding all the way from the second grade. I never saw anything wrong with marrying a guy, and neither did you, and I think the only reason it stayed that way was because we were 8 and had wild fantasies of running off and living in a lavish castle for the rest of our lives. Maybe that was just me. It doesn’t matter. I was going to wear a puffy white dress like one from a Disney Princess wedding, and you were going to wear a purple Sunday school coat. I met you, and I fell in love with you just like that, and I thought, well, ‘nothing can stop true love.’

“And then, in 5th grade, my older brother came out. Said he had a boyfriend up in New Jersey who was this brilliant lawyer. He was right to hide it until he was 18; mom won’t let him come home, won’t let anyone even talk about him. My favourite brother, who I looked up to my whole life, gone in a day like he never existed. I still haven’t seen him since that day.

“My mom sat me down that afternoon with a bible and told me exactly why I could never see him again. ‘He’s chosen the side of the devil,’ she said. ‘Remus is going to hell.’ And god, she believed every word of it. I believed every word of it.

“Virgil Knight was the love of my life, and that fact has scared me every day since then. I couldn’t understand why I wanted so badly to marry you or why you made me so happy. I was doing the devil’s work, that’s what my mom said. Why did it feel so right?

“And then middle school came around, and you were just so… God, I couldn’t not want you. And then the popular kids came up to me, asked me if I wanted to go to Starbucks with them after school, and I thought ‘this is my out. This is how I stop feeling like this.’ I went with them without a second thought.

“Well, it was about a month before I realised this was never going to work. Without you in my life, nothing was fun anymore. I mean, I like football, but it wasn’t the same without you constantly making wisecracks about my comments. It was like there was a hole in the picture, and no amount of fake friends could fill it. I started looking for you in the halls, tried to find your name in the school directory when it came out, but you’d completely vanished, just like…

“After a while, I gave up trying. You were gone. And then Virgil Ansia appeared, and he had a different name, and he was so much different from Virgil Knight, always wearing black and grey, always keeping to himself, and he was so… hot, if it’s quite alright. And I’m sure I had some suspicions, of course I did, but I honestly wouldn’t let myself believe you were back. And then my so called ‘friends’ let it slip that you were gay, and I couldn’t think it was you. Because if I let myself believe any of that, then I might have started to believe that I could have had a chance all those years ago, if only I’d done the right thing and stayed by you. And that thought? It breaks me, time and time again.

“None of that changes anything, I know. I’ve done so many horrible things for the sake of popularity, for the sake of being loved in a way my mother could be proud of. The few times she talks about Remus, she calls him broken, a monster. I’ve always been the knight in shining armour, and I could never bear to hear her call me anything but. I’ve been holding it all in for too long, hiding behind girlfriends and football helmets, but the truth is, Virgil, all I’ve ever wanted is to be yours, and if that makes me broken? Well, I’m not sure I ever want to be fixed.

“I know I’ve ruined every chance I’ve ever had at salvaging our friendship; honestly, I’ve probably made it worse in the past few minutes. But you have to know, I’ve never forgotten you. And like I told your friends out there, I would do whatever it takes to call you my friend again, even if I have to lose everything. I fully understand if you never want to see me again, I’d seriously have to agree with you, as much as it pains me, but if you’re willing to give me another chance… I’ll give it all I have.

“Virgil Knight was the love of my life, but if I can be a friend to Virgil Ansia… that’s more than enough for me.”

The bathroom was silent. Outside, he could hear distant uneven breathing. It had never occurred to him that Logan and Patton could have been listening through the door. Roman couldn’t bring himself to care. Virgil was all that mattered in this moment.

“Jesus, Princey, you’re an asshole, you know that?” he sniffed. “I was already crying, you know?”

The prince laughed dryly, feeling tears pricking at his own eyes. “You know me. Ever the dramatic.”

“Good to know some things never change.”

They both chuckled quietly, then Roman heard a small click, and the bathroom door swung open. Roman, still leaning on it, nearly toppled forward before two pale hands grabbed his shoulders and steadied him. He looked up slowly into the beautiful face of Virgil Ansia.

His eyeshadow was dripping down his cheeks, creating thin black streams that somehow added to the emo effect. His cheeks were very red, and Roman was suddenly all too aware of just how short Virgil was.

And his eyes. Oh, his eyes. Roman had never gotten close enough to clearly see them, and now that he had, he feared he would never look away.

They were perfectly round and glassy as a lake. The irises held every shade of brown ever created and even some flecks of gold and, to his mounting surprise, violet. Deeper than the biggest abyss and warmer than a campfire and mysterious as the darkest night. More beautiful than any painting in the Louvre, and just as priceless. Soothing as a symphony and soft as the gentle lull of a violin.

“Um, look,” he said, voice shaking. “I don’t really know how any of this works. I kept trying to deny it, but I know you didn’t like 95% of what you did. You still did it, but you did feel bad, and that counts for… something, I guess? The point is, you’re trying, and that’s the best thing you can do. And for what it’s worth… god, I can’t believe I’m actually going to do this. I was so ready to hate you my whole life, why did you have to make this difficult? God, ok, um, I guess what I’m trying to say is, well, despite everything… I still love you. And honestly, I’d be glad to call you mine if Logan would let me.”

Roman blinked. “What?”

“Uh, yeah. Logan’s kind of the voice of reason here, and he’s told me like a million times that you’re not worth my time or whatever, and he is not letting me date unless he approves of the guy, honestly it’s like I have 4 dads, and yeah he definitely doesn’t approve of you yet, and-”

“No, that's not at all what I was confused about. I get it, he has every right not to approve of me. Hell, _I_ don't even approve of me. I just- you love me? _Still_ love me, even? And you would… be with me? Just like that?" He stuttered, baffled. Virgil chuckled.

"You're so dense, princey. Of course I do. And no, I wouldn't be with you just like that. You'd have to ditch those asshole friends of yours. I don't do secret dating. And you'd have to get at least Patton on your side. That shouldn't be too hard though. He'll probably just stick with his whole 'as long as Virgil is happy, I'm happy' mindset. And then there's my dads to worry about, they're not a fan of you either. But… you know. If you care as much as you said you did… maybe you'd give it a shot?"

Roman grinned widely.

"That's it!? God, of course I will. Virgil, I'd do anything. I can't… holy shit…" he mumbled, head spinning, heart racing.

The emo pressed his lips together, holding in a sweet smile with little success. “I missed this. I missed the real you.”

Roman released a shaky breath. “Not nearly as much as I missed you. God, to think this all started because- oh shit.”

The Prince felt nauseous. He’d forgotten about Wyatt completely. God, Virgil was going to kill him. No, Logan would first.

“Woah there, Princey. Are you ok?”

“Um,” he gulped, “there’s something you should probably know.”

Virgil narrowed his eyes, confused but not accusing. Not yet.

“Ok, so my, uh, this guy I know caught me staring at you today and misread the situation and kind of, um, forced me into maybe… flirting with you to break your heart?”

The emo startled. “Huh? But you didn’t flirt with me.”

“I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Virgil, I wouldn’t break your heart if the world were at stake. I made that mistake once; I won’t do it again. The thing is, there is likely an asshole waiting for us in the hallway, and I’m so sorry I got us into this.”

Virgil was quiet for a moment. Then, he said, “I have an idea. Don’t tell Logan about this until we’re fucking married, or you’re actually dead.”

When they emerged moments later, they were both rushed at and tackled. Roman froze, terrified of getting beat up by the nerd, but instead he was hugged. Patton clung onto him like a life raft. “Oh, you poor thing, I’m so sorry about your brother and your mom and all of those awful things,” he cooed, catching the frightened prince off-guard. He pulled away, looking roman straight in the eye. “If your family gives you any trouble, don’t hesitate to call me or crash at my place. Everything is going to be ok, alright kiddo?"

Roman laughed, feeling relief wash over him.

"Thank you, Patton. I appreciate that a lot." He said gratefully. He took a step back as he saw Logan approach them, his arms folded defensively across his chest. Logan sighed, softening.

"Well, it usually takes more than an eloquent speech to change my mind, but Patton has yet to be wrong about someone's true character, so I have made the likely very poor decision to trust you. So, I suppose, what I'm saying is… I'm sorry for punching you." He mumbled, seeming extremely not sorry. Roman smirked.

"Thank you, I suppose." Roman said gently. The prince saw Virgil move to speak, but before he could say anything, the group was interrupted by the sound of a slow clap ringing out through the empty hallway.

"Wow, Ro. I knew you were good, but not this good. You got all three of them at once! I almost believed you for a minute." They heard a low voice tease, turning to see Wyatt leaning casually against the lockers behind them. Roman felt his blood boil.

“Oh, fuck off, Y,” he hissed. “You’ve always been an ass, but now? You’re just a fucking dick. These people are the best people I know in this god forsaken place, and if you have a problem with that, you can tell it to my fucking fist.”

Beside him, he felt Virgil link arms with him and reach up for a quick kiss on the cheek. “You tell ‘em, babe.”

Roman suppressed his laugh as he watched Wyatt's jaw drop.

"You- you're one of them?" He said, looking almost scared.

"Took you long enough." Roman said with a wink.

"Holy shit. I've been friends with a f*g for years. What the fuck." He said, looking disgusted with himself. Roman felt everyone in the group stiffen, and Logan took a step forward.

"You got this one, or can I?" The tall man spat.

"Be my guest. If I recall, you're better at this than I ever was."

Wyatt took a fearful step back as Logan advanced. He wasn’t fast enough. Before he could even yelp, the nerd decked him squarely in the jaw.

Roman felt Virgil's hold on his arm tighten instinctively, and he smiled to himself.

"And that's for calling my boyfriend a f*g, bitch." Logan said as he stepped back, adjusting his glasses calmly.

Wyatt never bothered the group again. The next day, Roman came out to the entire school during lunch by asking Virgil to the prom. A week later, he was outed to his mother and came to live at the Hart residence, where they gladly took him in as if he were one of their own.

And for the first time in almost a decade, Roman Prince was happy. Truly happy. Because he wasn’t hiding. And sure, he had lost some people on the way, but he didn’t care. The people that left him weren’t his friends. His friends were the people who invited him over to hang out with them after he had been shunned from his place of honor in the center of the cafeteria.

And his mother and father? They weren’t his family. His cousins who blocked him weren’t his family. His judgemental aunts and disappointed grandparents were not his family.

Remus was his family. Remus’s husband was his family. Logan and Patton were his family. His friend’s parents who had taken him in and Virgil’s dads who had been nothing but perfect towards him were his family.

And above all, Virgil was his family. Virgil was everything. More than family, more than the love of his life, more than anything. And if he had that? There was no force on earth that could tear him down again.


End file.
